Restart, Reset

Chapter 8

      The Fort was bigger than most of the apartments in Chicago. Well at least the ones I was around. The Craftsmanship was loads better, and the materials didn't look like absolute crap.

      "Dang," I gasped in awe, "And you built this?" I questioned in awe, Shifting my gaze towards her.

      "Yuppers!" Winter exclaimed, bright as Willis Tower, "What do ya think?" She  asked, eager for a review.

       "Its truly amazing, better than my old place, and i'm surprised you built it yourself!" I laughed. Raving and continuing to look around the small but somehow relatively spacious area

    "Don't be Silly, DummKopf,  I Had help from Dad, but I did all the designing and a good portion of the buildin' myself." She stated "And, I shot my first deer out of it last November" 

    "Nice"I noted then moved to the window on the far side. The window wasn't as much a window as much as it was a hole in the wall covered by a piece of wood. Says a lot about apartment construction in Chicago, at least the Area I lived. I opened the window and a pile of snow fell in. "Oh crap" I gasped

     "Heh, it was out that window too" She  noted.

     I tried to pick up some snow and throw it back out the window.

     "Just leave it," Winter ordered "it will melt here in a few days" she reasoned

     "Aight"i said. it was now use, it would probably just fall back i-

     Again, What was that. 'aight'. I definitely warming up to them, And their  language.   

      We stood in the Fort for a solid 30 seconds. You know that feeling when there's is nothing to talk about but don't want to leave, AKA Awkwardness.

      The spell of awkward silence was broken by a cellphone buzzing from inside Winters jacket.

      "Oh shoot" She grunted as she peeled off her coat, and fished her phone out of a pocket. 

     It stopped ringing right as she swiped and put it to ear.

      "Yeah" she responded, no knowing it stopped. "Dad?" she said after awhile without any talking. She got flustered and checked the phone. "Dammit" she mutteredbefore redialing the number.

      I snickered while the phone rang, but shut up when Heard the muffled 'hello' from David
      
       "Hey, you called?" She asked
       Gargle and muffled sounds came through the phone.
        "Oh, out by the fort," she responded to the question, which I assume was 'where are you' or something along those lines.
         More chatter came through the phone, A tad longer this time.
         "Okay, we'll start making our way back," she stated.  I heard two short bursts of chater. "Bye Dad" She said, then pocketed the phone.
           "We gotta head back?" I rhetoricaly asked.
           "Yep, we gotta grab some firewood, Then we are gonna have some hot chocolate!"
           "Okay, sounds good I guess" I responded.
            With that, Winter sped past me out the fort. I exited the fort, only to find winter, not waiting for me, and running just as fast as she could, (of course just as fast as she could was severely hindered by the winter clothing). I shut the trap door up and started running. (My running was slightly faster due to a lack of the previously mentioned winter clothing, only having a hand-me-down pair of boots and a ragged old coat).

              When I caught up to winter she was walking, but it was also about halfway there, so its safe to say I enjoyed the break in speed. "Why did ya take of so quickly?" I asked between breaths. 

              "You'll see when we have the hot chocolate, sometimes I go outside and split wood just to come back in and have an excuse to make it," she reasoned.

               "Ahh" I responded in understanding/

               "The whole of it is homemade too, Moms got a friend down in Mexico that sends us a bag of cacao beans  every fall" Winter stated.

                At that moment, really any kind of Hot Chocolate sounded appetizing, I was cold, like i said before, No snow pants. It's currently 28 degrees with a 20 degree windchill. But everything i have had hear has been homemade, and everything I've had here has set the bar to a new, unbeatable level. 

                "Ohhh stop, stop right there, I don't want to here aaaany more" I stated

                 "Why?" she questioned.

                 "'Cause any more of it and i'll be forgetting that firewood" I responded, airquotes on 'Forgeting' 

                  "Well I guess I better stop, 'Cause we need that firewood to make the Coco" she stated looking forward and smiling.

                   "Well maybe we should hurry up and get it then" I suggested, looking over to Winters poorly hidden smile.

                   "Well maybe we should" she returned the gaze, losing all sort of attempt to hide the smile.

                    We stopped walking for a split second, holding the gaze. Then as if planned, we both took off running to the wood pile.

                    We both made it to the pile at around the same time. I picked up 3 pieces of firewood and begun running to the house. Soon after I heard Winters footsteps behind me.

                     Then God pushed my legs out from under me, ending up with wood clattering on the ice that was the culprit in my dramatic fall. I slid like four feet, then came to a stop. Winter clopped past me a few seconds later.

                   "There's Ice there" She smugly stated, I could feel her smile in her voice. It made me smile too. But more of a 'yeah yeah screw you too' smile, but there was a hint of hilarity in it. She walked up the stairs and went through the door.

                    I recollected myself. Standing up on my knees. Which without snowpants proved to be extremely cold. Then proceeded to recollect the firewood I had gathered. Then, with a fair bit of effort and balance I didn't have, stood up and baby stepped my way to the stairs, carefully climbed up them, and made my way inside. 

                    I barely could get in a sigh of relief before a shout of "I won!" Smugly propagated around the corner.

                   I heeled of my boots, "I know that" I smiled. I began peeling of my jacket "But I let you" I hung up my jacket and rounded the corner. 

               Mrs. TenHagen was in the kitchen making dinner. It appeared to be some sort of red meat ( David sat in his downstairs recliner, supervising Winter as she built a fire in the fireplace.      
            "Brantley", Winter called, "Can you get the  jar on the counter please?"
            "Yes I spun around to look for the jar. "I can,"
            I snatched the jar and walked over to winter and knealt beside her.
            "Thanks". She noted
           "Your welcome"
           Winter cracked open the jar and proceeded to stick a popsicle stick inside if it, removing a earwake looking substance. She spread it over it over the other peices of wood inside the fire place. She struck a match and lit the earwax and a newspaper.
           "Bada-boom, bada-bing, that's how you start a fire with pine resin," She informed.
           "Nice job midget,"David praised, "The pine resin came from the man cave, ple-"
           "Is this what I think it is?" Winter interjected, glowing almost immediately.
           "Yes, permission to go put the Resin back in the man cave," David smiled.
           "Yeah!" Winter almost squealed in excitement, Quickly resealing the Resin, and belining up the stairs.
           I followed, getting around halfway up the stairs.
          "Brantley," David hailed.
           I stopped and turned, winter continued.
          "Comeere'" he ordered.
          I stood next to him.
          "Sit down,"
          I complied.
          "Your dad called"